81: Now, I’m not a doctor, but strapping some tape around Kaboul’s thigh can’t be the best way to treat a hamstring injury…

78: Sadio Mane and Mo Salah combine nicely, but the Egyptian international blazes into the sidenetting from an acute angle. Not much coming from Watford, and now Kaboul is down inured. That could be a full house of enforced changes for Marco Silva today.

76: Oh you jammy boy! Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren get in a spot of confusion, but the goalkeeper manages to reclaim the loose ball with Andre Gray lurking.

73: Dejan Lovren glances a corner at the near post but Gomes is there to block. I think that might be Liverpool’s first shot on target that WASN’T a goal. Salah follows that with a wayward shot.

70: Firmino, the man for all occasions. Having assisted a couple, he’s just got his body in the way of a dangerous Watford free-kick.

Emre Can collects Firmino’s clearance and draws the foul deep in Watford territory.

67: Andre Gray looks to make himself an instant hero but Dejan Lovren executes a perfectly-timed challenge to stop him from breaking through.

64: Alberto Moreno forces a good save from Gomes, who tips his fizzed effort around the post. Woodwork! Joel Matip glances the corner off the crossbar and Watford clear it to safety.

One thing is certain: There will be more goals today.

60: Watford are well and truly rattled. There’s no press, challenges are becoming rash and Liverpool look the likelier to score another. Trent Alexander-Arnold goes in the book for a foul on Richarlison.

Boy, that escalated quickly. Liverpool have scored twice in three minutes to take the lead at Vicarage Road.

Lovren sends a long ball toward to Firmino, who dinks it over the onrushing Gomes and Salah bundles it over the line.

All change please, all change.

55: WATFORD 2 – 2 LIVERPOOL – FIRMINO (PEN)

Penalty! Mohamed Salah is brought down in the area by the onrushing Gomes, and Anthony Taylor points to the spot.

Roberto Firmino, who looks to have assumed penalties, steps up and sends the goalkeeper the wrong way.

We’re level with 35 minutes remaining!

53: Sadio Mane pounces on a loose ball from Amrabat, but his cross from the left flank lacks quality and goes behind for a goal kick.

52: As with the first half, Liverpool have struggled to find any rhythm or pattern to their play in the opening stages. Watford doing well with their pressing game, but will fitness levels take their toll towards the end?

51: Marco Silva is forced to throw his new Brazilian signing Richarlison into the mix. He replaces Pereyra. Richarlison’s straight into the action and goes through one-on-one with Mignolet, but he’s miles offside.

48: Not another injury! Pereyra is down receiving treatment, and he’s limping off as we speak.

Ooooh, Jurgen Klopp and Marco Silva are arguing on the touchline. The German is quite an imposing figure, especially when he’s angry, but Silva is holding his own.

The fourth official has spoiled the fun by breaking them up like a headmaster.

45: OK, we’re back underway folks. No changes for either side at the break. Oh, I’ve just spotted Moeen Ali signing autographs.

I’m aware I should follow that with a cricket pun but I’ve got nothing…

TWITTER ROUND-UP

Bernard:The worse Liverpool perform without Philippe Coutinho against Watford today, the harder it will be for Barcelona to buy him.

John:What have Wijnaldum & Coutinho got in common? Neither have been seen on the pitch at Vicarage Road today.

Tom:Horrible first half… players don’t look at it at all… woeful defending, where have we heard that before?

HT: WATFORD 2 – 1 LIVERPOOL

Sadio Mane does brilliantly well to glance an outswinging corner narrowly past the post. It would of been a spectacular finish from a man not normally associated with headed goals.

And that’s half-time. Watford deserve their lead, but it wasn’t half gifted to them by some abysmal defending.

47: The Reds win a free-kick in the closing stages but Alberto Moreno’s cross fails to beat the first man, and Mo Salah skews the loose ball miles over.

FOUR MINUTES INJURY TIME

45: It takes a big man to admit he’s wrong, and today, I am that big man. After seeing replays of Watford’s second goal, I can confirm that it was NOT offside. Didn’t stop Jurgen Klopp from arguing with the fourth official though.

43: Watford win a corner, and the entire Liverpool support fall silent. They needn’t this time because Simon Mignolet confidently collected.

40: That had to go in. Salah races past Holebas and fires over the bar from point-blank range. Four goals during pre-season, but he won’t be adding to that tally with finishes like that.

38: Sadio Mane, who’s in my Fantasy Football team, gets himself booked for a late challenge on Doucoure. Silly boy.

Former Everton midfielder Tom Cleverley rolls the ball across the face of goal, and it’s deflected into the path of Abdoulaye Doucoure, who sticks it into an empty net.

Controversy? Yes. The midfielder looked suspiciously offside in the build-up. I say suspiciously, I actually mean that he WAS offside.

It still doesn’t excuse the pitiful ‘defending’ though.

29: WATFORD 1 – 1 LIVERPOOL – MANE

Cometh the hour, cometh Sadio Mane! The rapid winger plays a beautiful one-two with Emre Can, who flicks it back into Mane’s path and the Senegalese international composes himself before curling it into the top corner.

Brilliantly worked goal.

28: Roberto Firmino is being forced to drop deeper to get involved, and that’s not doing Liverpool any favours. Sadio Mane and Mo Salah are being swamped whenever they get near the ball.

27: Close! Amrabat plays a quality first-time ball through to Okaka, who caught Dejan Lovren sleeping, but he was penalised for offside.

25: Sorry that I’ve not told you about any chances, but there really have been none! Liverpool are lacking guile without Coutinho and Watford have tons of bodies behind the ball. I think they’re going to need a Emre Can wonderbang…

22: Liverpool still labouring here at Vicarage Road. Watford are doing a good job of closing the space and keeping lightning duo Mane and Salah quiet.

20: Yep, there was no way that Janmaat was shaking off that injury. He’s replaced by Kiko Femenia, who’s making his Watford debut following his arrival from Alaves.

15: Daryl Janmaat is down folks. He looks to have sustained a hamstring injury and has sat down in the middle of the park. Jurgen Klopp uses the opportunity to bark some orders at his players. He’s not a happy camper.

12: We were wondering if the absence of Philippe Coutinho would affect Liverpool, and early indications suggest the answer is a resounding yes.

The Reds are incapable of keeping the ball for more than a few seconds and are being flooded in midfield.

8: WATFORD 1 – 0 LIVERPOOL – OKAKA

There’s the breakthrough, and you won’t be surprised to hear that it’s come straight from a corner.

Stefano Okaka rises above Matip to head in from close range from a Jose Holebas corner.

Not sure who was supposed to be marking him, and why Jurgen Klopp’s side have nobody on the near-post!

7: Close! Okaka feeds Pereyra, who wiggles his way through a couple of challenges before seeing his drilled shot tipped wide by Mignolet for a corner.

6: Get on the weights, Sadio! Daryl Janmaat dispossesses Mane and crosses for Okaka, but Matip was there to clear.

5: Watford won the award for most yellow cards conceded last season, and they look like defending their title if the first five minutes if anything to go by.

Not much action happening yet, Liverpool still easing their way into things slowly.

3: Okaka, who’s an absolute tank by the way, just barges into Simon Mignolet as he’s clearing the ball. Liverpool win the free-kick but Okaka protests like he’s got a leg to stand on.

1: WATFORD 0 – 0 LIVERPOOL

We’re underway folks. Fasten your seatbelts, if it’s anything like last night – we’re in for a treat!

12:27: The players have emerged from the tunnel to the epic Z-Cars. Sky Sports get to show off their new player graphics for the second time this weekend. They all look like they belong on a billboard somewhere…

Coutinho handing in a transfer request was never going to be good news for Liverpool – and especially not on the eve of a new season, not to mention a key Champions League play-off tie.

Whether or not the Brazilian will indeed still “remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer (transfer) window closes”, as the club’s owners Fenway Sports Group insisted in a strongly-worded statement yesterday, we will have to wait and see.

There is no doubt the player’s head will have been turned. How he, and the club, deals with that will be key to whether Jurgen Klopp’s men can press on to mount another sustained assault on the top four or have to settle for also rans.

Last night they had Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher on the pitch doing their analysis, but nobody knew if that was a one-off.

I can confirm that they’ve ditched the studio again today in favour of the turf and even have a little ‘pope-mobile’ with a television screen with them.

Brave new world, innit.

11:55: I’ve only gone and created a bloody poll for you lucky people. I know, I’m the gift that keeps giving.

We’re asking if Liverpool can cope without Philippe Coutinho.

Jamie Redknapp has just said on Sky Sports that no player is bigger than the club, and the club should take the cash and accept this season won’t be as productive. Do you agree?

Incidentally, if you have any comments, suggestions or just generally want to tell me what a superb job I’m doing, then you can comment at the bottom of the page or let me know on Twitter (@jamie_anderson3).

11:25: Having said that, Liverpool have won 15 of 20 top-flight meetings with Watford, and six of the last seven.

So might not be the banker of the weekend on reflection.

11:20: Lots of people think they’ve spotted an upset today, and you can see why with Watford priced at 5/1.

Not only does Marco Silva boast a pretty impressive home record wherever he’s managed, but the speculation surrounding Philippe Coutinho’s future could affect Liverpool’s display.

Barcelona are understood to have had a follow-up offer of around £90million for the Reds playmaker rejected on Wednesday, having already seen a £72million bid turned down last month.

And Coutinho’s NOT in the squad today because of back problems…

11:15: Good morning folks, welcome to our LIVE coverage of Watford v Liverpool from Vicarage Road.

The Premier League got underway in typical lung-busting fashion last night as Arsenal completed a remarkable comeback to beat Leicester 4-3 at the Emirates.

Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his side can dispatch Watford in simpler fashion, but Marco Silva might have a thing or two to say about that.

Anyway, enough of my waffle – let’s get going!

Premier League predictions for Gameweek 1

Wed, August 9, 2017

With Arsenal and Leicester City kicking off the season last night, Express Sport predicts the outcome of each remaining Premier League fixture in Gameweek 1

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Who will be the big winners on the opening weekend of the Premier League season?

PREVIEW

Express Sport brings you LIVE coverage from Vicarage Road

Watford v Liverpool: The Hornets have lost their last three games against Liverpool by an aggregate score of 9-1

WATFORD TEAM NEWS

Record signing Andre Gray is in line to make his Watford debut this weekend with Troy Deeney’s availability in question owing to recent surgery on his groin.

The club captain faces a late fitness test ahead of today’s visit of Liverpool but is a doubt given the procedure was only a month ago.

Craig Cathcart also misses out because of a knee injury, as does Christian Kabasele due to a hamstring problem. Mauro Zarate, also knee, remains a long-term absentee.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

Liverpool will be without Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

Coutinho, who has handed in a transfer request, is unavailable due to a back problem that also makes him a doubt for next Tuesday’s Champions League qualifying play-off first leg against Hoffenheim, while Sturridge has a thigh issue.

Adam Lallana (thigh) and Nathaniel Clyne (back) are also out.

STRAIGHT FROM THE MANAGERS

Watford’s Marco Silva: “Our main goal is to continue to stay in the Premier League, but we want to do better than the last two seasons.

“That’s important as well to us, and the way I work is to think game-by-game, prepare week-by-week, and be strong on matchdays.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “When we finished last season in fourth position everybody was really happy about it – it was really a good result for a big effort.

“We knew also there would be a qualification game, and now it is coming up. But the first challenge we have to face is playing Watford, even though everybody is thinking about the Champions League qualifiers. So Watford is the first target.

“We are in a good shape. The players are in a good mood, the attitude in all the training sessions was really good.”